End the NSA’s Mass Spying

It's time to put the brakes on NSA spying. But some members of Congress are opposing reform. Take action to speak out against mass spying, and fight back against NSA apologists.

We won!

The Senate passed the USA Freedom Act by 67-32 on June 2, 2015, marking the first time in over thirty years that both houses of Congress have approved a bill placing real restrictions and oversight on the National Security Agency’s surveillance powers. The weakening amendments to the legislation proposed by NSA defender Senate Majority Mitch McConnell were defeated. Technology users everywhere should celebrate, knowing that the NSA will be a little more hampered in its surveillance overreach, and both the NSA and the FISA court will be more transparent and accountable than it was before the USA Freedom Act.

Since the first leaked document, we’ve learned disturbing details about the full extent of NSA spying. We now have confirmation that:

The NSA is sweeping up the call records of millions of innocent people;

The NSA is collecting the Internet communications of law abiding people around the globe;

The NSA is undermining encryption, making the Internet less safe for everyone;

There’s a new reform proposal moving in the Senate. Senator Leahy has introduced a revised version of the USA FREEDOM Act, S. 2685. It would limit bulk collection of phone records and add transparency to egregious NSA spying.

If S.2685 passes, it will be the most meaningful reform of government surveillance in decades. S.2685—the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014—isn’t perfect. It isn’t comprehensive reform, and there are places we’d have liked to see the language tighter. But it’s a strong first step.

Although S. 2685 doesn’t contain all the reforms of the original USA FREEDOM, it does create meaningful change to NSA surveillance right now, while paving the way for more insight into what the NSA is doing. Getting these reforms now can help us get better reform later.

We can’t let NSA apologists preserve the status quo. Demand real reform. Support S. 2685, the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, and amendments that will strengthen the bill—and demand that your elected representative do the same.